Fire-extinguisher.



1N0. 700,696. Patented may 20, I902.

n. m. MARTIN. FIRE' EXTINGUISHER.

(Application filed. Ju.ne-2, 1900.)

(No Model.)

Inwe'nfaz:

omus PETERS 0a.. mam-Luna. wAsumm'n. a c" UNITED STATES PATENT ROBERT M. MARTIN, OF DAYTON, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO THE .AMERICAN CHEMICAL FIRE EXTINGUISHER COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 700,696, dated May 20, 1902. Application filed June 2, 1900. Serial No. 18.836- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: second method of tightly-sealed bottle, while 50 Be it known that I, ROBERT M. MARTIN, a the bottle can be submerged in the alkali citizen of the United States, residingat Dayliquid it frequently happens, where reliance ton, in the county of Campbell, State of Kenis placed in drawing out the stopper or breaktucky, have invented certain new'and useful ing the bottle,that the apparatus providedfor Improvementsin'Fire-Extinguishers,ofwhich the purpose fails to work for one reason or 55 the following is a full, clear, and exact deanother. Chemical extinguishers being opscription, reference being had to the accomerated at veryinfrequentintervals, unless the panying drawings, forming part of this speciacid-bottle will open'fautomaticallythe operafication. tive mechanism is liable to get out oforder My improvements relate to that class of and fail to operate when wanted. Then 60 chemical fire-extinguishers in which a closed where the bottle is broken or the acid emptied receptacle containing some acid is inclosed in at once into the alkali solution the gas is asecond receptacle containing some alkali soformed almost with the force of an explosion.

lution, the two liquids to be kept separate un- The resulting pressure is entirely too high til the extinguisher is to be brought into use, and the. pressure diminishes too rapidly, so 65 when means are provided for distributing and that the discharge is not at all uniform. The mixing the acid with the alkali solution. gas-pressure for the proper discharge of the The principal object of my invention is to liquid through the nozzle should 'be mainprovide asimple, cheap, and effective method tained with uniformity, and the pressure of scaling up the acid-receptacle, so that it should be behind the liquid and not in the 70 can be submerged in the alkali solution withneighborhood of the outlet. It is the purpose out possibility of mixing therewith under norof my invention to remedy these defects in mal conditions, but so arranged that the seal the manner hereinafter particularly pointed maybe removed and the contents of the acidout and claimed, whereby the discharge of receptacle without damage thereto evenly and the acid may take place slowly and at the mid- 7 5 slowlydischarged when required. It has been dle of the alkali solution and in which the customary to provide a glass bottle as the seal shall simply drop away from the mouth container for the acid and to seal the mouth of the vessel when the extinguisher is invertof the bottle in various ways. Two methods ed, and although the acid vessel is submerged of sealing the acid-bottle have been usually in the alkali liquid no premature mixing can 80 adoptedeither to provide a loose stopper for take place. the bottle, which will drop out when the ex- In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of tinguisher is inverted, or to seal the bottle the extinguisher broken away to show the tightly and by some suitable means either to position of the acidreceptacle. Fig. 2 is a break the bottle to discharge the contents or similar view with the extinguisher inverted 85 to draw out or to push in the cork or stopper to discharge the acid. Fig. 3 is a vertical at the proper time. When the first method section of the acid-receptacle and the holder is adopted with loose stopper, the mouth of therefor. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the the acid-receptacle cannot be submerged in holder. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the the alkali solution for fear of premature mixbottle-stopper. 9o ing of the two solutions, so that with this class A is the cylindrical casing of the fire-extinof devices when the acid is discharged the guisher, made in the usual shape for containmixing takes place at the upper end of the ing the alkali solution and provided with the main receptacle near the discharge-nozzle,and usual screw-threaded cap B to close the exas a result the gas formed, and frequently tinguisher, the contents being discharged some of the acid, is ejected through the noz through a tube Z in the usual way. zle, thusweakening the pressure and destroya is a handle secured to the cap 13 for coning the efficacy of the apparatus. With the venience in carrying the extinguisher.

Secured to theinner face of the cap B is a rod 19 of sufficient length to extend about to the center of the retort and provided at the lower end with a spring-clip O to embrace and hold securely in position a bottle D of convenient size for holding the acid solution and preferably made of glass. E is the stopper for this bottle, provided with a broad flange c to come down over and embracing loosely the sides of the bottle, making the stopper bell-shaped when a cylindrical acid vessel is employed. This stopper or. cap is preferably made of lead or other metal which will not be attacked by the acid or alkali solution and which will give it sufficient weight for the purpose. The stopper is provided with a, guide-stem d, entering the mouth of the bottle, and with an external stem 6, which passes up loosely through an eye on a guide-armf, mounted on the rod Z2.

When the main reservoir is filled with the alkali solution, a sufficient quantity of acid is placed in the bottle D, the stopper E is placed over the mouth of the bottle, with the guide-stem d inside the mouth, while the external stem passes up loosely through the eye on the arm f, secured to the rod 12. The cap B is then secured in place, which submerges the acid-bottle to a point about at the center of the main reservoir. The stopperE, with its bell-shaped mouth extending downward, the air-pressure within the mouth of the stopper efiectnally prevents the entrance of any liquid so long as the extinguisher is kept in an uprightposition or even at any incline not sufficient to allow the escape of air-bubbles from under the stopper-mouth. To discharge the contents of the acid-bottle, all that it is necessary to do, however, is to invert the extinguisher, as shown in Fig. 2, when the stopper at once drops away from the mouth of the bottle, where it is held by the arm f and guide-rods, allowing a discharge of its contents into the cup of the stopper, and a slow uniform mingling of the two solutions takes place generating the gas for the use of the apparatus. No matter how long the extinguisher mayhave been out of use this construction is always bound to work. The stopper resting loosely on the bottle-mouth, the moment the retort is inverted the discharge takes place. There is no mechanism that requires operation to effect the discharge, no instructions have to be followed to place the apparatus in operation, and with simple inversion of the extinguisher the performance is insured. The arm f is located at such a position that the stopper does not fall entirely away from the bottle when the extinguisher is inverted, and the flow of the acid from the mouth of thebottle is also retarded by the guide-stem. The result is a slow discharge of the acid. There is no discharge of the acid to form almost instantaneously a large volume of gas, as would result if the stopper were not held in place, and a uniform gas-pressure is obtained,which continues until the liquidis entirely discharged from the vessel. There is no chance for unneutralized acid to be carried with bubbles of gas through the discharge-tube, because the acid is held in place by the cup of the stopper and the gas bubbles up into the inverted end of the retort, giving a constant pressure as the liquid is discharged.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is a 1. In a chemical fire-extinguisher, the combination, with an alkali and an acid receptacle, of a holder for the acid-receptacle to sustain same in a fixed position submerged within and below the surface of the liquid in the alkali-receptacle, a weighted diving-bell sealing device for said acid-receptacle, and means to permit said sealing device to drop away from the mouth of said receptacle when the fire-extinguisher is inverted without displacement from said acid-receptacle, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a chemical fire-extinguisher, the combination with the alkali and acid receptacles, of a holder for'the acid-receptacle to sustain same in fixed position within the alkali-receptacle, and a bell-mouthed cover for the acid-receptacle provided with a rod, and an arm on the holder to guide same, whereby the cover may be prevented from displacement when the receptacles are inverted, substantially as described.

3. In a fire-extinguisher, the combination with a liquid-holding tank, of an acid-bottle and a weighted diving-bell sealing device therefor adapted to be submerged within and below the surface of the liquid in said tank, the said sealing device adapted to fall away from the acid-bottle when the tank is inverted, substantially as described.

at. In a fire-extinguisher, the combination with a liquid-holding tank, of an acid-bottle and a weighted diving-bell air-check sealing device therefor, adapted to be submerged within and below the surface of the liquid in said tank, the said sealing device adapted to fall away from the acid-bottle when the tank is inverted, substantially as described.

ROBERT M. MARTIN.

Witnesses:

W. S. KYLE, R. P. HARGITT. 

